Ottawa Valley voters hopeful for more defence spending

Defence spending is now a federal election issue, as party leaders discuss sovereignty, procurement and a plan to meet  the two per cent GDP spending target that is Canada's commitment to NATO.

In the Ottawa Valley, in the riding of Algonquin-Renfrew-Pembroke, people who rely on the economic engine that is Garrison Petawawa are looking to benefit from that increased investment, which they hope will translate into more recruitment, better salaries, and more housing for Canadian Armed Forces members, and their families.

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"We live and die by how well the base is doing," says Odette Miller, the officer manager at Pronto Retail Centre located just outside the garrison. The centre hosts a laundromat, three-star hotel, pizza joint, Northland bus stop, nightclub, and pool hall.

Over at Drea's Barbershop, men with close-cropped hair get a little bit more taken off.

"Probably about 90 per cent of our client base is military," said Andrea Lemay. She started a two chair salon 14 years ago and now has more than a dozen stylists working together as a cooperative.

Car dealerships also do a brisk business serving the 6,000 Canadian Armed Forces members based at Garrison Petawawa.

"It's a fantastic opportunity for us. We have so many clients that come from Base Petawawa," said Griff Slaughter, a third-generation car salesman. "We know they've got money … if they've been on tour … they come back and they're ready for a new car." 

In addition to CAF members, there are 900 civilian jobs on base. The Department of National Defence (DND) payroll alone is close to $400 million annually, according to the Town of Petawawa.

"We are inextricably linked and we depend on each other," said mayor Gary Serviss. "You see it every day. You hear it every day with the artillery training and the helicopters flying."

Liberal leader Mark Carney has committed to meeting the two per cent GDP spending benchmark by 2030.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilivre has said he would "work toward" that target, as has the NDP. 

Canada spent 1.37 per cent of GDP last year on defence spending, which is a bone of contention with US President Donald Trump.

The garrison is the largest employer in the newly named federal riding of Algonquin-Renfrew-Pembroke, formerly Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke. 

The incumbent is long-time Conservative Cheryl Gallant, who first won the riding as a Canadian Alliance MP in 2000. In her ninth election, she'll face off against Cyndi Mills of the Liberals, Eileen Jones-Whyte for the NDP, Danilo Velasquez for the Greens and Patrick Dale for the People's Party.

Local restaurateur Hani Diab would welcome new investment at Garrison Petawawa. His son Marc had been posted to Petawawa and was killed while serving in Afghanistan in 2009. The family opened a Lebanese restaurant called Madameek to honour him.

"The more funds comes to the military, the more businesses are happy. So we hope they will pump in some money," said Diab. "The military is the backbone here."

Diab has noticed some CAF members are struggling. "Somebody comes in and he wants two plates that come to $50 or $60. He looks twice at the machine," said Diab. "That rings some [alarm] bells for us."

"The sacrifice that these people make — and their families make — I don't think is being compensated fairly," said Lemay. "It's unfortunate that they give so much and yet still have day-to-day struggles."

According to DND, privates start at $43,000 and new corporals make $72,000. Food bank use at The Petawawa Pantry was up 57 per cent between 2022 and 2023, though it's not clear if any of the families in need were CAF members.

While politicians are focused on big-ticket items such as new submarines and ice-breakers, and whether to proceed with American-made F-35s, there is a far less glamorous gap that needs addressing in Petawawa: housing. There is a significant wait for subsidized housing on base, and off-base affordable housing is hard to find.

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Petawawa developer Legacy Homes is building 96 three-bedroom semi-detached homes with smaller "mortgage-helper" two-bedroom rental suites in the basement. "They can't find a location on base," said company president Darryl Lance. "This gives them an opportunity to fill that void."

Partisan politics enter in to the conversation in this riding that has remained Conservative for almost a quarter-century. Longtime Petawawa resident Heather Amyotte hopes Gallant will win again. "She gets things done," said Amyotte. "We don't need Liberals, we need Conservatives. We were due for a change a long time ago." 

"We're going to be happy to hopefully have the Conservatives back in power and they will do so much for the military here in our area," said Lemay, the barber. 

Derek Weidhaas retired as a sergeant from Garrison Petawawa in 2021 after 24 years in the service.

"I have zero faith in the Liberals," said Weidhaas. "The military has gone downhill the last 10 years ... when the Conservatives got out, the military went downhill because of the Liberals."

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Weidhaas cites as an example the dress regulations that were loosened in 2022.

"Get the discipline back in the military up in the Garrison. Get all those weak individuals out of the military. Get strong people back into the military," said Weidhaas. "That's when you're gonna have your military back."

Others in the riding are just happy that both Carney and Poilievre are talking about increased defence spending.

"Whatever government emerges as the victorious party in this upcoming election, I hope they take seriously the need for defence spending," said Serviss. "Not just to benefit host communities like the town of Petawawa, but to protect our very sovereignty."